7. Creating space for self-reflection and career focus

Given the pace of work and life there is rarely time for women to reflect on their careers, their challenges and their practices.

The coach met me at a point when I needed to decide: do I continue staying where I am. My project was coming to an end, I was looking out for opportunities […] she was really able to help me unpack myself and I got to be more aware. […] I got to clarify my objective and I got to clarify my journey in terms of my career and the niche I needed to work on.

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Lillian Mageto, Senior Technical Advisor, Palladium, Kenya Participant, WILD Leadership Coaching Program WILD views self-reflection as a critical component of leadership development and has created spaces for it at our Forum and through our Leadership Coaching and Women of Color programs. Most recently the WILD Leadership Attributes Framework has provided a template for women to reflect on their leadership strengths and development needs in a structured way. (See p. 29.)

When I started out with my coach, I didn’t know how much I would benefit from the “ opportunity to be introspective about my career, think about how I want to show up as a leader, and learn about how who I am as a person impacts the work that I do every day. . Mary Devlin, Director of Operations, Tanager, USA Participant, WILD Forum My coaching experience was transformational, and at a point in my life and “ career where I was ready for sweeping change and was uncertain if or how to navigate it. Coaching provided me the space to acknowledge what I wanted, what I didn’t, and what my obstacles were to achieving my vision… Experiencing coaching has also made me more self-aware and mindful of how to support, “ communicate, and empathize with others in my personal, and professional life.

Hawa Kombian, Interim General Manager, The ROOM, Ghana Participant, WILD Leadership Coaching Program